The Pandemic has Made us Better Leaders
Across the globe, business leaders are beginning to consider what a “return” to the office means. While we all crave a return to normalcy, the workplace will never be the same. Leaders are being called upon to carefully navigate the way forward, making crucial decisions in un-chartered territories.
Given that, now is the perfect time to ask: How has my leadership changed for the better because of the pandemic? There are two leadership traits that we hope leaders will continue to embrace going forward.
1. Empathy:
Empathy is the ability to see the world as others see it, sense their emotions, and take their perspective, without judgement. Individual employees in these progressive organisations feel seen, heard and understood. They feel safe to be vulnerable. Therefore, they are more likely to let their managers know what they need and what they can realistically produce. This in turn helps leaders meet those needs, manage expectations, and keep the work moving forward.
While this is the right thing to do for employees, it’s also led to another surprising benefit which we call the empathy advantage. Because leaders have become more oriented to seek perspectives and understand the needs of others, they are making better decisions more quickly than before. Add empathy-building questions into your decision processes and the whole system will flourish.
2. Authenticity:
Authenticity is about presence, living in the moment with conviction & confidence and staying true to yourself. The current situation due to COVID-19 has broken down barriers between leaders and their teams. The Zoom box has become a bit of an equaliser, and as a result, teams and leaders are developing more trust, warmth, and rapport than ever before.
Going forward, maintain this new level of authenticity. Bring your messy problems to your team. Share what you’re struggling with. Ask for help. Show up as your full self. When you do that, your team will too—and together, you’ll consistently generate innovative, creative solutions to intractable challenges.
The road back to the office will inevitably include course corrections, dents and wrong turns. Hold on to the gifts of authenticity and empathy and you and your team will be better positioned to navigate it.
